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Celebrating
Thaipusam at Batu Caves
Once a year,
Batu Caves will see hundreds of thousands of devotees who will come to serve
their penance in Batu Caves on Thaipusam Day. In 2006, there were
approximately 1.5 million devotees and visitors who came, to one of the
largest Thaipusam celebration in the world.
The
Discovery
Batu Caves
was discovered by an American Naturalist, William Hornaday in 1878. Although
to the ‘orang asli’ (local tribes), the impenetrable jungle surrounding
Kuala Lumpur is basically where they would hunt for their food and medicinal
herbs, to most, the jungle remains an unbeaten track. During his hunting
expedition around the same jungle, he noticed a strong stench. Intrigued by
the strong smell, he had asked his guides, several local tribesmen known as
the ‘Jakun’ and a Malay man, to lead him to the source of the smell. They
led him to a cave, the source of the strong stench of guano, a cave where
they have always used as a shelter.
Struck by
the enormous magnitude of the cave, he compared the cave to the likes of a
grand cathedral, with the gallery and gothic roof, and that of the end of
the gallery, where the roof rose as high as 100 feet, to that of the St
Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.
It was later
turned into a place of worship, in 1891 by an influential descendent of
Indian immigrant, K. Thambusamy Pillai, who installed the murti
(Sacred Statue) of Sri Subramania Swamy in the Temple Cave.
Lord Murugan,
The Emancipator
Thaipusam
celebrates the birthday of Lord Murugan (Subramania), the youngest son of
Shiva and Parvati, a manifestation of beauty, youth, masculinity, valour and
vitality. It also celebrates the struggle between good and evil, the day
Lord Murugan vanquished the evil demon Soorapadman with the Golden Vel
(lance) that was given by his mother Parvati. It falls on the tenth month of
the Tamil Hindu calendar, which is called Thai and the word Pusam refers to
the star that is shining the brightest during that period.
The Day of
Penance
Several
years ago I was lucky enough to have witnessed the splendour of Thaipusam,
on the eve of the actual day. It was quite an experience, to see all around
you, devotees who, with the support of their family and friends, making the
pilgrimage towards the Temple Cave, where they will fulfil their vows made
for the year. You can see, sea of humans trudging up the steps to complete
their vows and for some, to bear witness this magnificent annual event.
The
procession of the jewelled chariot containing the statue of Lord Murugan
would start early in the morning, as early as 4.00 am on the eve of
Thaipusam. Devotees would walk from Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, which is
located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, where the Statue is kept throughout
the year and would only be taken out during these few days. The Sri Maha
Mariamman Temple is the first temple that was built in Kuala Lumpur in 1873.
Indian immigrants who travel from their motherland would bring along with
them the Divine Mother, Sri Maha Mariamman and her son Sri Subramania to be
worshipped and prayed to, for protection, hence the name given to the
temple, Sri Maha Mariamman. The walk would take approximately 8 hours to
reach Batu Caves. Once there, the devotees would carry the Statue up the 272
steps to where it will then be placed at the Shrine.
In order to
serve the penance and to be able to do their offering, the devotees would
have to go through an act of cleansing, spiritually and physically. They
would fast, recite prayers, abstain from carnal needs and lead simple life
approximately 30 to 40 days prior to the actual day. The penance would take
in the form of carrying kavadis (which literally would mean burden) which
may be in the form of a pot of milk, mortification of the human flesh, by
piercing the flesh with a vel skewer or the most spectacular would be the ‘Vel
Kavadi’, which is basically an altar that has the Lord Murugan’s
idol and a pot or a jug of milk. The kavadi would be placed atop of the
devotee’s shoulder and chains that are dropped from the central body of the
kavadi would be attached to the devotee by vels that are hooked on to their
chest and back. The Vel Kavadi could be as tall as 2 metres.
On the eve
of the Thaipusam, devotees who have made their vows, would walk along with
the procession of the jewelled chariot of Lord Murugan from the Sri Maha
Mariamman Temple to Batu Caves. Once they have reached Batu Caves, they
would have to be bathed and cleansed by the priests (Swami) at the nearby
river. Once cleansed, the devotees would be brought into a state of trance,
so they can be lanced or skewered without feeling the pain.
Family and
friends will guide the kavadi bearers up the 272 steps of Batu Caves to go
to the Temple Cave, some using drum beats and flutes as a driving rhythm
while others hear the shouts of ‘vel, vel, vetri vel’. Once they have
reached the top, they would make their way in the Temple Cave towards the
Shrine of Lord Murugan. Here the kavadi bearer will take the pot of milk and
pour it over the Golden Vel, offering prayers to the Deity. Once they have
completed this, the Swami or priest will sprinkle holy ashes over the vels
and skewers that are attached to the chest and back. The kavadi will be
lifted off the shoulder of the bearer after which the Swami will remove all
the hooks and skewers, and bring the bearer out of his or her trance. With
the vow fulfilled, elated faces can be seen among family members, friends
and even on lookers.
The
Attraction
Batu Caves
has a series of chambers that are fascinating. At the foot of the stairs,
there is the Art Gallery Cave where you will find an interesting gallery
which showcases the statues and paintings of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses
and the mythologies. There are also paintings that depict the epic of
Ramayana.
The Temple
Cave also known as the Cathedral Cave is the main gallery which houses the
Shrine where Lord Murugan’s idol will be placed during Thaipusam. The
limestone cavern is 400 metres in length and the height of the roof of the
gallery is approximately 100 metres. This is where the American Naturalist
who discovered the caves has compared it to St Peter’s Cathedral, colossal
and full of majestic structures designed by Mother Nature.
Apart from
that, for those who are caving enthusiasts, Batu Caves is also a good
location to explore the beauty of the cave, to view the grandeur of the
formation of stalagmites and stalactites and Mother Nature’s work of art.
The two kilometre network of untouched chambers is also host to some of
nature’s most unique eco-system. In order to visit the Dark Cave, visitors
would have to seek permission and guidelines from Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).
MNS also conduct educational and adventure tours to the Dark Caves and you
would have to book in advance to guarantee a place in these tours.
The latest
attraction to Batu Caves would be the statue of Lord Murugan, which stood as
high as 42.7 metres tall. The statue which was revealed on 29 January 2006,
cost RM2.5 million and is made of 1,550 cubic metres of concrete, 250 tonnes
of steel bars and 300 litres of gold paint, brought in from Thailand. The
statue which took 3 years to complete was built by 15 Indian sculptors.
Other
attractions
Batu Caves
may be known as a holy site for most people. The name Batu Caves is
synonymous with the Thaipusam celebration, not only for people in Malaysia
but to many people around the world as well. Though it is well known for
this, Batu Caves is also known to rock climbing enthusiasts as a favourite
spot as there are over 160 climbing routes.
Even though
Thaipusam is celebrated once a year, Batu Caves is opened to receive over
3,500 to 5,000 tourists and visitors, daily. There will still be some
prayers held daily at the temple, so tourists can also participate in some
of the prayers or also pay respect to the
The place is
serene, but visitors might also encounter some wild life as there is a large
population of the long-tail macaque monkeys at the surrounding area.
Visitors are allowed to buy some peanuts to feed these monkeys but are
advised to practice caution as the monkeys can become aggressive.
How to get
to Batu Caves
Batu Caves
is located 13 kilometres North of Kuala Lumpur City Centre. You can drive to
Batu Caves, an approximate half an hour to forty five minutes drive from the
City Centre. You can also take a cab to Batu Caves or alternatively, you can
take a bus no 11D from Bangkok Bank bust stop, which is behind the Central
Market.
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